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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

Soyuz TMA-01M mission patch

The Soyuz TMA-01M mission patch represents the first flight of the new "digital" Soyuz TMA-M class spacecraft and the TMA-01M crew, commander Alexander Kaleri and flight engineers Scott Kelly and Oleg Skripochka.

Kaleri described his crew's patch to collectSPACE in July:

It is a hexagon with flags and families [names]: two flags -- American and Russian -- and three families. Inside there is a silhouette of the Soyuz composed from digits, zeros and ones, above the planet flying through the Sun and some stars.

And there is an outline of a crane as the backdrop of the Soyuz. The Soyuz is represented digitally out of zeros and ones with the crane.

Soyuz TMA-01M is scheduled to launch October 7, 2010 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to bring Kaleri, Kelly and Skripochka to join the International Space Station's Expedition 25 crew.

UPDATE: Roscosmos formally debuted the TMA-01M mission patch on Sept. 10. The announcement included the artwork by 12-year-old Alexander Turovsky of Michurinsk, Russia, which contributed to the emblem's design.

KSCartist

Super Job! Very creative way to illustrate to new flight software and hardware.

It will be a pleasure to fly along side this design.

KAPTEC

Great work guys (Luc, Jacques, Erik...). It will be a pleasure to "fly again" with you. Cheers for a well done job!

music_space

What if the digital code means something?

0101001101010100010011010100000100101101001100000011000101001101

On edit: I corrected a typo in the fourth to last and second to last sequences.

Playalinda

The second to last one would look good in my bank account.

Mike Dixon

Not in Zimbabwean dollars it wouldn't.

webhamster

quote:Originally posted by music_space:What if the digital code means something

It doesn't. It's not a valid binary sequence.

Hart Sastrowardoyo

I was thinking Okuda had a hand in designing the patch, but "11001001" doesn't appear in sequence. ("11001001" was the title of a Star Trek: The Next Generation ep.)

Personally, I hope the last four numbers - 1101 - doesn't represent some sort of program alarm.

hoorenz

quote:Originally posted by music_space:What if the digital code means something?

Hint: What if you made some typos?

music_space

quote:Originally posted by hoorenz:Hint: What if you made some typos?

I have! I did correct it though...

music_space

quote:Originally posted by webhamster: It doesn't. It's not a valid binary sequence.

Well, I wouldn't be surprised that it would hint to some official or unofficial message... I know I wouldn't pass on this opportunity!

hoorenz

quote:Originally posted by music_space:I have! I did correct it though...

Okay! Next hint: Google, Binary translator

benguttery

It says: STMA-01M

hoorenz

Yes, it does say "STMA-01M". In the mean time, the back up patch can be seen worn by the back up crew here.

OK, yes, now it says something. When I first checked it out I must have been using the version that had the (now-corrected) typos in it which is why it came back invalid.

Mike Z

This is truly a unique patch, different than any space patch. Really a fantastic job! Congratulations on a great patch that really stands out from all of the other space patches!

hoorenz

Here is some additional info on the design of the patch.

The Soyuz and the crane are forming an 'X' shape, the universal symbol of test flight, to emphasize that this is the first flight of a new type of Soyuz vehicle. The orange border and 'technical' shape also refer to this.

Both spacecraft and crane are flying towards an orbital sunrise. The nine rays of the Sun stand for the individual members of the Expedition 25 and 26 crews that Kaleri, Kelly and Skripochka will be a part of. Three larger stars, constructed from simple mathematical symbols, symbolize the Soyuz crew.

dogcrew5369

You could say they have been "uploaded" to the ISS. I know, corny.

pargoo

Hi-res version now they're up?

Marwin2

Is it a crane or a stork?

hoorenz

quote:Originally posted by Marwin2:Is it a crane or a stork?

When we finalized the design of the patch in May of this year, a digital version of the winning children's drawing was not immediately available. Instead, the bird was described by Kaleri as a "журавля", which is a crane in Russian. So that answers your question! Which also gives me an opportunity to credit someone.

Without the drawing available, we were given the freedom to use whatever crane would suit the Digital Soyuz idea. We ended up using a silhouette, based on an image of the November 2009 Sandhill Crane migration in Indiana. The photo was taken by a bird loving veterinarian from Illinois, Tim Wallace, who generously gave permission to use it.

music_space

From Roscosmos' YouTube channel:

Baikonur Seen With Children's Eyes.The winners of the international children contest Draw the Emblem of the Russian Manned Spacecraft Soyuz TMA Crew first former Marina Korolenko from Murmansk region and sixth former Sasha Turovsky from Tambov region visited the Cosmodrome Baikonur. They also attended the lift-off of the spaceship Soyuz TMA-M. Sasha's drawing became the basis for the first digital Soyuz Crew's insignia.